This page discusses how to draw manga eyes. The method detailed on the page will enable even beginners to draw manga eyes. There is a general misconception is that it is difficult to draw manga, therefore many give up. Drawing manga eyes or art isn't necessarily about talent; there are systematic techniques that enable even beginners to easily draw manga. Learning to draw manga eyes or art may be simple, but mastering it will take perseverance and practice.
You will need a 2B pencil, white paper, an eraser, and a pencil sharpener. Mechanical pencils are strongly discouraged, as they will leave marks on the paper if you try to correct our mistakes with an eraser.
How to Draw Manga Eyes
Watch Mark Criley's video tutorial to kick start learning how to draw manga eyes. In this video tutorial, Mark Criley focuses on different ways to draw manga eyes by different manga comic authors. This is also to give beginners a feel of how should a pair of manga eyes look like.
Manga Eye Drawing
Step 1: Draw the Iris of the Eye.
Draw a circle to depict the iris of the eye. The size of the iris usually gives a rough gauge to the size of the entire eye.
In Mark Criley's video, notice that he is able to start drawing from the eye lashes. Why? That is because he prepared guidelines on his piece of paper before drawing the eye out. However, it is wise to start drawing the iris of the eye first, as it is the central component of the eye .The rest of the features of the manga eye will use the size of the iris as the gauge.
Step 2: Draw the Highlight of the Eye
Every manga eye will have at least one highlight, which expresses some form of realism in the eyes, and it also tells where is the character looking at. Never shade into the highlight at any time. This is because the highlight is also the reflection of light on the eye.
Step 3: Draw the Overall Shape of the Eye
It would be helpful to look at the image above before proceeding. Extend the lines from the top and bottom parts of the iris, and shape it to look like an eye. Vary the length and shape of the lines, to give a different look and feel to the character.
Step 4: Repeat the Steps to Draw the Other Eye
Repeat the steps to draw the other eye, spacing it about 2 iris' widths away from the first eye.
Conclusion
This is a very simple way of drawing manga eyes and can be used even by beginners.
Notice that the pupils are not included in the manga eyes drawing. That is because in many manga series, there are many instances that the pupil of the eyes are not drawn in detail, and the character still looks great.
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Look at your favorite manga comics, and pick out some of your favorite characters. Look at their eyes and notice the details.
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Fact:
Take note of the size of the iris, the shading of the eyes, and the overall shape of the eyes.
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Fact:
To draw proficiently, practice and experimenting with different styles of drawing are necessary. Much practice helps to train our intuitive senses to know what a good pair of manga eyes should look like.
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Fact:
Manga artists use eyes to portray a certain personality of a character. In your favorite characters, notice what kind of eyes matches the personality of the character and take note of that when you are drawing your character.
